The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics has sparked outrage and anger among social media users, especially some of the paintings that were displayed during the ceremony, which included what some considered to be a representation inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper,” the beheading of Queen Marie Antoinette of France, wife of King Louis XVI, and a depiction of Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine.
Many angry reactions came over what was said to be a parody of the painting “The Last Supper”, and the show was described as an insult to Christianity.
While the Olympic opening ceremony featured performances by world-famous singers, and despite being one of the most respected international sporting events, these performances angered many social media users.
Widely criticized
A number of people interested in the Olympic Games confirmed that France is organizing the Olympic Games on its soil after a century, and that the ceremony had a negative impact on global public opinion. In the same context, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, wrote a list of criticisms of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, describing it as a “disastrous failure.”
Zakharova said on Telegram that a Russian-born chef had been arrested, accusing him of spying and trying to “disrupt the event” before the opening.
She added that she did not want to watch the opening ceremony.
But when she saw the photo she couldn’t believe it was “not a deepfake or Photoshop.”
Among Zakharova’s criticisms of the Olympic opening ceremony was that on the eve of the ceremony, reports emerged that even some French athletes would not be allowed to attend, as they were competing in their traditional clothes.
trains are suspended
The opening ceremony was preceded by several events, as the high-speed rail network was subjected to a massive, large-scale attack aimed at paralyzing its network, which apparently caused severe disruptions, with Eurostar trains between London and Paris also cancelled.
France wants to boost its image through these games, by hosting about a hundred heads of state or government, to continue intense diplomatic activity while conflicts rage in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, passing through Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Many of those interested and following various sporting events considered this version to be the weakest due to the failures that became apparent before the actual launch of the major event.
Zico theft
The failure continued at the Olympic level, this time it was a security issue, as former Brazilian player Zico was robbed last Friday while he was in France on the sidelines of the start of the Olympic Games.
Zico filed a complaint with the French police after his bag was stolen from his car after he forgot to open the window, according to the prosecutor’s office. The French newspaper “Le Parisien” indicated that the value of the stolen property is estimated at $ 542,000, as his bag contained a Rolex watch, a diamond necklace and cash. Problems continue to appear at the Olympic Games, as the coach of the Argentine Olympic team, Javier Mascherano, also announced that his team’s training center was robbed.
Fatal error
The failure, which is the most prominent title of the Paris Olympics, continued as the organizing committee and the media committee made a grave mistake before the start of the basketball match between South Sudan and its counterpart Puerto Rico, which ended with the victory of the newborn state, as the Sudanese national anthem was played instead of the national anthem of South Sudan, so the South Sudanese mission protested and demanded that the matter be addressed immediately, amid great disapproval from the fans who watched the match from the confrontation stage, in addition to the widespread criticism from activists on social media of the organizing committee due to the disastrous mistake.
Palestinian Abu Sal loses his first Olympic fight
Palestinian boxer Waseem Abu Sal lost his first Olympic bout to Sweden’s Nabil Ibrahim, in the 57kg weight class, in the 32nd round of the Paris Games yesterday.
With the support of the crowd in the North Paris Arena, Abu Sal (20 years old) entered the ring, knowing deep down that he was fighting the biggest fight of his career, due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Ibrahim qualified for the next round by unanimous decision of the judges, after dominating the three rounds, where the difference between him and his Palestinian competitor was clear.
Third doping case detected
The International Testing Agency (ITA) has suspended Nigerian boxer Cynthia Temitayo Ogunsemuelor from the Paris Olympics for violating anti-doping rules. The agency’s statement read: “Nigerian boxer Cynthia Temitayo Ogunsemuelor has been suspended from the Paris Olympics for violating anti-doping rules.”
Cynthia became the third doping case in this edition, after Iraqi wrestler Sajjad Ghanem and Dominican volleyball player Lesville Eve.
Simone appears at the Paris Games
American Simone Biles even stole the show at the Paris 2024 Olympic gymnastics trials, performing brilliantly despite concerns over a left calf injury, while Algerian Kaylia Nemmour was on point, particularly on her favorite uneven bars. Biles arrived in Paris looking to cement her legacy as the greatest gymnast of all time, an Olympic icon who transcends her sport in both triumph and defeat.
The Little Dynamo shone at the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning gold medals in the all-around, vault, floor exercise, and team competition.
Al-Farjani: I feel like I’m still dreaming!
Tunisian champion Fares Ferjani confirmed that he has not yet felt the achievement he has made, which is winning the silver medal in the men’s sabre fencing competition, to give the Arabs their first achievement in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I feel like I’m still dreaming and I haven’t felt the achievement I’ve made yet,” Ferjani said. “Whenever I thought I was going to compete for an Olympic medal… I ignored it so as not to distract myself or lose my focus.” He explained, “I wanted to do my best and just enjoy playing.” Ferjani pointed out that “two months ago I lost in the quarter-finals of the African Championship, and since then I told myself that if I wanted to win a medal I had to be calm and keep in mind that all my competitors were strong.” He explained, “I have faced Oh Sanguk before, but he changed his strategy this time and surprised and confused me.” He stressed, “My Korean opponent deserves the gold medal thanks to his wonderful performance.” Tunisian Sports Minister Kamel Deguiche praised Fares Ferjani highly, saying, “I want to salute the maker of this event, Fares Ferjani, who has entered history through the widest doors.”